City ponders metro to airport again

Prague is continuing to examine the possibility of extending a metro line to Václav Havel Airport. The idea of extending the A line from its current terminus at Nemocnice Motol to the airport has been revived. It had been proposed when the metro line was extended from Dejvice, which was completed in 2015, but the idea was dropped when other routes to the airport seemed more feasible.

Recently, a proposal to extend a new metro spur line from Nádraží Veleslavín to the airport was considered but found to not be practical.

A commuter rail line that extends from Veleslavín beyond the airport to Kladno is also being considered, but it will take a long time to complete.

Improving the connection from the airport to the city center has long been a goal of the city government.

The Prague Public Transit Company (DPP) has commissioned a study to determine the costs and time of construction for the extension from Nemocnice Motol to the airport. It will also look at extending the metro C line from Letňany to Čakovice. The study should be completed by the end of 2017.

The new study will build on previous assessments and documentation of the same airport route, which was done ahead of the previous metro extension work. The new study will look into what conditions have changed.

“I agree with the DPP to look into these options. The study's conclusions should provide an estimate of the possible cost of this solution, as well as a timetable for possible realization. The conclusions of this study will serve as a basis for deciding whether this option will continue to be our preferred option,” Prague Mayor Adriana Krnáčová (ANO) said on the City Hall website.

Prague Deputy Mayor Petr Dolínek (ČSSD) said that the city also wants to explore extending the metro A line in the east of Prague, where there are large housing projects in Hostivař, Horní Měcholupy, and Petrovice, where the transport service is not ideal. He wants to compare to advantages of a new metro spur to those of adding new tram lines. The Cline extension to Čakovice and A-line spur to the housing projects would help to better connect residents of those areas with the city center.

Currently, the metro connects to buses that go to the airport The transfer from the bus to the metro is time-consuming, and passenger with luggage find it difficult to manage. An escalator is being built at Nádraží Veleslavín to make it easier. But the buses are often crowded and are also subject to traffic delays.